Vikings rout Bruins, win third straight title

Published: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11:13 PM.

Known more for her passing than her scoring, Kinston point guard Brittany Drumgoole proved Friday at Viking Gym just how dangerous she can be when she’s doing both.

The sensational junior scored a game-high 19 points, dished out seven assists, and just in case that wasn’t enough, grabbed eight rebounds, collected four steals and blocked two shots as the top-seeded Vikings rolled to their third consecutive Eastern Plains 2A Conference tournament title with a 63-30 thrashing of second-seeded Wilson Beddingfield.

Kinston (21-4) will open the state 2A playoffs Monday at home against an as of yet undetermined opponent.

Kinston’s third victory this season over the Bruins was in doubt early in the third quarter.

The Vikings led 24-17 when Drumgoole found Alexis Williams and Monique Lofton open behind the 3-point line on consecutive possessions. Williams and Lofton both drained the treys, and just like that, Kinston’s precarious seven-point lead had ballooned to 13 with 5:53 left in the third period.

“Brittany would rather have 20 assists than 20 points every night,” Kinston coach Hubert Quinerly said. “She just has a knack for finding the open teammate and getting her the ball where she can score.”

Known more for her passing than her scoring, Kinston point guard Brittany Drumgoole proved Friday at Viking Gym just how dangerous she can be when she’s doing both.

The sensational junior scored a game-high 19 points, dished out seven assists, and just in case that wasn’t enough, grabbed eight rebounds, collected four steals and blocked two shots as the top-seeded Vikings rolled to their third consecutive Eastern Plains 2A Conference tournament title with a 63-30 thrashing of second-seeded Wilson Beddingfield.

Kinston (21-4) will open the state 2A playoffs Monday at home against an as of yet undetermined opponent.

Kinston’s third victory this season over the Bruins was in doubt early in the third quarter.

The Vikings led 24-17 when Drumgoole found Alexis Williams and Monique Lofton open behind the 3-point line on consecutive possessions. Williams and Lofton both drained the treys, and just like that, Kinston’s precarious seven-point lead had ballooned to 13 with 5:53 left in the third period.

“Brittany would rather have 20 assists than 20 points every night,” Kinston coach Hubert Quinerly said. “She just has a knack for finding the open teammate and getting her the ball where she can score.”

When she wasn’t finding the open teammate, Drumgoole often was open herself. After a solid eight point first half, Drumgoole scored 11 points after intermission and handed out six of her seven assists.

“She really took over in the second half,” Quinerly said. “She has such a high basketball IQ that she understands what that the defense is giving her. Tonight they were so concerned about her passing that it opened up lanes to the basket.”

Drumgoole didn’t do it alone. The Vikings outscored Beddingfield 40-15 in the second half, an onslaught that began with the back-to-back 3-pointers from Williams and Lofton.

“Brittany set them up, but Alexis and Monica still had to knock down those shots,” Quinerly said. “That’s what four-year starters do; they come through in the clutch.”